Technical Field
This disclosure relates to medical instruments and more particularly to systems and methods for measuring changes in skin during operative procedures.
Description of the Related Art
External Beam Radiation Therapy (EBRT) is an important and commonly used treatment modality for cancer; however, it has many deleterious side-effects. In EBRT for breast cancer, skin burn is a serious side-effect of the treatment. Some EBRT-induced skin reactions are immediate, while others may take days or weeks to occur. The skin reactions can occur on any part of the skin that is in the path of the radiation beam. Since EBRT treatments involve the use of radiation beams from multiple directions around the patient, skin burns in the case of breast EBRT can occur in the shoulder, back, neck and contra-lateral breast. Skin reactions such as these cause a great deal of pain and discomfort to the patient, in addition to other side-effects. In some cases, extreme skin reactions may lead to the generation of new cancerous cells. Currently, there is no technology available to quantify and/or avoid skin burns resulting from EBRT treatments.